


hearts kept racing

by we_are_inevitable



Category: Waitress - Bareilles/Nelson
Genre: Again, F/M, Falling In Love, Fix-It of Sorts, More tags to be added, Romance, jim is pining hard, thank god for facebook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23345470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/we_are_inevitable/pseuds/we_are_inevitable
Summary: It's been four years since Jim Pomatter had spoken to Jenna Hunterson. When everything seems to fall apart in his life, can he find the happiness he once felt with Jenna again? Will she even allow him back into her life?God, he hopes so.
Relationships: Jenna Hunterson/Jim Pomatter
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	hearts kept racing

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is my first ever fic for the Waitress fandom! i'm waaaaay late, but i had this idea and I could not get it out of my head until i wrote it.
> 
> it's from Jim's perspective, which i havent seen done much, so i hope you all enjoy it!

It all started with one too many drinks, a lonely December night, and a few unnecessary clicks on Facebook. 

The winter nights had given Jim ample time to reflect on what had brought him back to Connecticut in the first place. Francine's residency had ended, thus prompting the two to move back, but it was only another year or so before they had gotten divorced. Francine had noticed that Jim's mind was elsewhere, back in a little diner off Highway 27, and the divorce had been fairly… amicable? No, that wasn't the right word. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't very good, either. The divorce had been-

Numb. The divorce had been numbing. Neither of them spoke unless needed, neither of them made eye contact after Francine walked into their apartment one day and placed the divorce papers on the table. They had never really talked about it, it was just something that happened. Francine didn't ask why, and Jim didn't tell how. She knew there was someone else, but she didn't want to know who, and he wasn't willing to admit that information. There were too many variables, too many questions not willing to be asked or answered, and they settled with that. 

Since the divorce, which had been about three years prior, Jim had refused to get back into the whole "dating" thing. Some of his coworkers had tried setting him up with various women, but none even came close to the girl he had in his mind. He couldn't do anything though- hell, the last time he had seen her, she said it was goodbye. And he could respect that, right? Could understand that she didn't want to see him anymore? It had been four years and he was still hung up on her, after knowing her for only the duration of a pregnancy, but, really, could anyone blame him? Jenna had been everything he had ever wanted, and since their goodbyes, he had never found anyone else who he connected with so well.

There was just something about Jenna that made his heart swell every time his mind drifted to those beautiful blue eyes, that soft brown hair, that gorgeous laugh and the southern twang in her voice. He could still hear it clear as day, which caused a horrid feeling to settle deep in his chest. He had no right to be thinking of her in such ways after so long of being apart, but he felt drawn to her, captivated by her beauty, her selflessness, her dreams and aspirations and work ethic. 

Jim couldn't figure out if they were meant to be, or meant to be apart, but he wanted to find out.

That realization was what had brought him to his current state: a bit too tipsy to be called tipsy, staring at a computer screen in the guest bedroom of his apartment that he had converted into an office. He didn't often drink alcohol- it was so, so unhealthy for his body- but it was needed at a time like this. Christmas was approaching within the upcoming weeks, and he had… no one. No one to call, no one to stay with, no one to spend an abhorrent amount of money on. Being alone during the "most wonderful time of the year" really put a damper on his holiday spirit. Of course, there were his coworkers at the hospital, but he wanted something more than that. 

He wanted someone to cherish, someone to spoil, someone to hug and kiss and compliment and love.

He wanted Jenna.

But, Jenna was miles and miles away. With a daughter. And a group of close friends that might as well be family. And a diner which would no doubt be serving up some delicious seasonal pies. Those pies had always been so good, so delicious, and he knew nothing would ever top them. After saying goodbye to Jenna, he had sworn off sugar again, saying that there was just no point. Nothing would ever top those pies. God, he wanted a pie- he craved it, craved the crazy good flavors and equally crazy names--

_Yeah, okay, stop. This isn't about the pies, Jim._

His gaze shifted from the ceiling to the laptop on his desk, and slowly, Jim rolled closer with his chair. Maybe this wasn't a good idea to do while drunk. Maybe it was stupid and irresponsible and would end up bad, but really, isn't risk taking what life was about? He could argue that this wasn't really a risk- this was just a mistake- but where was the fun in that?

Five minutes and a password change later, Jim was scrolling through Facebook. He didn't use it often, there was never any time, but his account was set up perfectly and he had a few friends on there. Mostly just distant relatives and coworkers, a few people from med school, and a select few from his hometown who had been important enough at one time or another to be awarded the privilege of being on his page. He checked around for a few moments, getting a feel for everything, before clicking the search bar at the top of the page.

Was he really going to do this?

That answer was a resounding yes.

He typed in the first letter and took a deep breath. Things were a bit blurry and his body felt like TV static, but that was okay, right? He hadn't had much, just a few glasses of wine, but he had never been known to have the best ideas when inebriated. That's why he rarely ever drank in the first place.

Typing her name had to be the most nervewracking thing he had done in years, he decided. But as he clicked search and saw the profile photos pop up, it was clear that it was the right decision.

His breath hitched when he saw a photo of a familiar, beautiful woman. Her long wavy hair was pulled into a half ponytail, and she was smiling brightly at the camera, seemingly in mid-laugh. It looked to be taken at the diner, with her seated at the bar, a wild-eyed little girl sitting next to her, who looked just like her mama. Jim gulped, wondering where to go from there, before his eyes shifted downward to the big blue "Add Friend" button. He really shouldn't… should he?

No. But what if he did? What would happen then? The worst she could do was cancel the request, or message him and ask not to contact him, so he didn't really see a point in not doing it. It would be nice to reconnect on a professional, friendly manner. That was all he wanted. He wanted to just talk to her, to at least still be part of her life, even if it was a little awkward at first. He still had so many feelings for her, but he knew she had boundaries. She was reserved, he could see that from the way she talked of her husband, and after seeing Earl throw a fit and get in her face in the hospital room, Jim knew that there was likely many more instances when that would have been so much worse at home. 

Jim wanted to protect her. Wanted her to have a friend she could call whenever she needed anyone. Wanted her to know that he still cared, that he still thought about her. 

He took a deep breath, pressed the big blue button, and walked to the kitchen to get another glass of wine.


End file.
